Click Here for Acacia Information Leaflet


Acacia is an award winning christian charity which was founded in 2004 by two local mums (Emma Borg and Rachel Gregory) who both experienced postnatal depression and were determined to help other families.  We have been supporting families ever since.  Our services are free and are available to mums and dads in the Birmingham area who are experiencing pre and postnatal depression and anxiety.  

What does perinatal mean? 

The Perinatal period is defined as ‘from the point of conception through to the first year after birth’ however Acacia’s experience shows that perinatal mental health issues can extend beyond this period.  Therefore, we work with families who have
a child up to the age of two.

What does being a Christian charity mean to Acacia?

If you're curious about what being a Christian charity means to Acacia?  Click here to read more.

What does Acacia do?

We provide, free of charge, a wide range of individual, group based and peer support services to help you recover from the symptoms associated with pre and postnatal depression and anxiety.  Our services are delivered across Birmingham by a team of 40 trained volunteers and a small staff team and they include telephone befriending, individual listening/befriending, CBT based group workshops, telephone support, practical support in your own home and massage therapy for parent and baby. One of the things that makes Acacia unique is that most of our staff and volunteers have experienced maternal mental health or other mental health problems.  This helps us to better understand how you are feeling and to show you that this is a temporary illness and that you can get through this.
 
We work closely where possible with other family members. Postnatal depression affects mums and partners, and we aim to support the entire family.

For more information ring us on 0121 301 5990

Safeguarding

Acacia is a charity that works to improve the lives of families experiencing pre and postnatal depression.  We believe that every individual who accesses our services should be treated with dignity and respect, have their choice respected and not be forced to do anything against their will.  Acacia is committed to safeguarding all vulnerable adults and children coming into contact with the charity, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or beliefs. Acacia personnel come into direct and indirect contact with parents and children.  Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and all staff who, during the course of their employment have direct or indirect contact with children or vulnerable adults, or who have access to information about them, have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults. Click here to view our safeguarding policy (As this is an online pdf web version of the policy, some of the embedded objects in the document may not be active).

For Acacia this means

1.    ensuring that Acacia practices safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff, freelancers and volunteers to work with vulnerable adults and have contact with children.  
2.    ensuring safe environments, checking the suitability of childcare providers contracted by Acacia, ensuring services are provided in safe environments and that sufficient safeguards are in place.  
3.    raising awareness of how and when to signpost vulnerable adults to appropriate services.  
4.    raising awareness of child and adult protection situations, and having robust internal processes and procedures for identifying, recording and reporting concerns or suspected cases.  
5.    building a culture that values and respects all children and adults and models appropriate conduct in line with our values. 
6.    setting out clear roles and responsibilities for safeguarding.

Domestic Abuse/Violence

Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) is a largely a hidden crime, occurring mainly in homes behind closed doors. As such, it can be difficult to record the context in which abuse is being perpetrated, or accurately measure the impact of the abuse on those who experience it. It impacts the whole family.  Acacia is comitted to helping families who are experiencing DVA to find the support and assistance they need.  Click here to download Acacia's Domestic Abuse Policy

Modern Day Slavery Statement

As a charity deriving its inspiration and values from the Christian faith one of our core values is to uphold human rights and to never knowingly take advantage of another person and so we continue to strive to minimise the risks of slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chains and to uphold the rights and welfare of everyone.

If you click on the link below it will take you directly to our full Modern Slavery Statement. It outlines our commitment and the steps we have taken to ensure compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA) and minimise the risks of any association with practices which undermine the principles of safety and dignity for our staff, clients and volunteers, particularly with respect to people from vulnerable groups. Click here to see Acacia's full Modern Slavery Statement

Living Wage

Acacia is an Accredited Living Wage employer and has been certified by the Living Wage Foundation.  By paying the real Living Wage, employers are voluntarily taking a stand to ensure their employees can earn a wage which is enough to live on The Living Wage is a voluntary higher rate of base pay. It provides a benchmark for responsible employers who choose to pay their
employees a rate that meets the basic cost of living in the UK.  It applies to Acacia employees, contactors and sub-contractors. 

Maintaining this accreditation verifies that we are actively committed to preventing modern slavery and that we have verified that our subcontractors/service supply chain is paying real Living Wages to their staff.

Compliments and Complaints

At Acacia we value your feedback because it helps us to constantly improve our services. 
If you would like to make a complaint or a compliment about any aspect of our service please download the Acacia Complaints and Compliments form by clicking here. 
Alternatively you may ring our office and provide us with verbal feedback.

Data Protection

We value your personal information and we make every effort to keep it safe.  We will never pass this information to anyone else for marketing purposes.  Pease click on the Privacy Policy link below for more information.